The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-11-02
A Duty Neglected.

A correspondent of the Free Press writes
the following, which will apply to other
localities than Burlington: "Several cases
of diphtheria have recently occurred in
different parts of the city and few deaths
have resulted. | am informed that these
cases, or most of them, are reported to the
health department, and that little or moth
ing has been done to stamp out or prevent
the spread of the disease. There is little or
no isolation of patients, no quarantine of
families, and in some instances children
have been permitted to attend school while
some member of the family had diphtheria
Persons who have been in close attendance
upon malignant cases of diphthera go about
without change of garments or proper dis
injecting of clothes or person. Certain
localities where diphtheria has broken out
during the past few years should be thor
oughly investigated and some means used
to prevent a recurrence. All premises
where the disease has occurred, be it one
or more cases, light or malignant, should be
thoroughly and properly disinfected-at the
expense of the city, if need be. About the
only expense would be the employment of
man who would thoroughly and con-
scientiously perform his duty. Physicians
in attendance may use proper measures to
disnfect and prevent spread of the disease.
But they do this in a general way and have
no authority to enforce obedience, and they
cannot be expected to perform the duties
that belong to another department. The
matter must be attended to in detail, and no
one has the authority except the board of
health The state board of health which
has been in existence about one year has
made strong endeavors to receive and impart
information in regard to contagious and in
fictitious diseases throughout the state They
caused to be printed list of questions
which were sent to nearly all the physicians
in the state. These questions, when prop
erly answered, would give valuable informa-
ftT,YNa . l,n 1Enn ttnh nfNI Nf Il,
diseases; but out of the 800 physicians
written to only about fifteen thus far
have reported. Similar lists of questions
were also sent to the selectmen of all
the towns in the state, but only about
four have answered. Many clergymen who
were put in possession of this list have
thus far responded more freely and accu-
rately than all the others. Business men of
all classes, including physicians and officers
of the public health feel it sort of bounden
duty to keep suppressed reliable informa-
ton where there is an epidemic of conta-
gious or infectious diseases, consequently
exaggeration and misrepresentation are
constantly occurring. Diphtheria is dis
ease which prevails in some localities more
than others and would it not be a wiser
course to inform people officially of these
locations, enabling parents to keep their
children from such localities during the
prevalence of the disease? Some say at
once, Well, it hurts trade; people will not
come to the city to do business if much is
said publicly about the disease. AS a
matter of fact, would not people come to
the city more readily had they the assur-
ance that such diseases were properly
cared for and everything possible done to
prevent contagiOn? Not only would the
business interests suffer less, but precious
lives would be saved. Hardly a paper in
the state issues single number but the
subject of pleuro-pneumonia among cattle,
diseases among horses and swine are written
up carefully, thereby enabling farmers and
stock-owners to more thoroughly protect
their property. State officials are called
here and there to investigate diseases
among cattle and horses and the expenses
are paid by the state. At the close of the
next session of the legislature look for the
official reports upon diseases of live stock
and the expenses incurred by endeavors to
stamp out pleuro-pneumonia among cattle
and compare it with the interest taken and
expense incurred in investigating the sub.
ject of infectious and contagious diseases
among the human family. There are, no
doubt, in Vermont fifty deaths of human
beings from diphtheria to one death among
cattle from pleuro-pneumonia. Both are
equally dependent upon the presence of the
disease germ one having its favorite field
of development in the throat, the other in
the lungs. If all the germs are destroyed
the progress of the disease is stayed alike
in both cases"